The present invention relates to intramedullary rods for use in conjunction with instruments for orthopaedic surgery.
A common technique for resecting the ends of bones during orthopaedic surgery involves the use of an intramedullary (IM) rod to provide a reference to the axis of the bone and to provide a support base for measurement and resection instruments. An example of such a prior art technique and instruments is found in the Miller/Galante Total Knee System Surgical Technique published and sold by Zimmer, Inc. In this system, a starter instrument is used to form a small indentation or hole in the end of the bone. A drill is then used to enlarge the starter hole and drill into the IM canal. Alignment guides and other instruments having an IM rod are then inserted into the canal. An improvement in IM instrument technique is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,970 assigned to Zimmer, Inc., and in the NexGen.RTM.Complete Knee Solution Tibial Stem Extension & Augmentation Surgical Technique published by Zimmer, Inc. The improvement is the use of an IM reamer that is left in place after the IM canal is reamed and on which various instruments can be mounted. This improvement saves the steps of removing the drill or reamer and inserting a separate IM rod.